Tianshi
by Sakura Sango
Summary: When Jack is found beaten and close to death little do the Xiaolin dragons know that the battle for control of the world has started. JackKimiko [later], ChaseWuya
1. Chapter 1

Title: Tianshi

Author: SakuraSango, Silver Fox, and Red Dragon

Rating: PG-13- strong- might change later if we need to…

Disclaimer: If I owned this Jack so woulda had the most screen time ever!

Pairing: Chase/Wuya, eventually- Jack/Kimiko

Warnings: Uh just the normal- blood, violence stuff. More may come in later as the story progresses. Slight Angst factor…

Summary: When Jack is found beaten and close to death little do the Xiaolin dragons know that the battle for the control of the world has started.

A/n: Alright so me and my brothers just came up with this idea- though none of us know how exactly. We were just driving when poof it came to us. Anyways this is written by the three of us, I type up the twisted plot that my brothers are telling me. And I thought I was the messed up one. Of course I'm helping to keep plot holes from forming.

So please read and review, however no flames please. Flames will be used to burn the annoying mosquitoes that are biting my toes.

Also I think the title means 'Angel' in Chinese, if it is wrong please tell me and I'll change it if anyone knows the right spelling or word. I forget what site I found it on but the internet has been known to be wrong before and I do not claim to know Chinese nor try to.

_x-x-x-_

"_Why don't you, come down to  
It's such a brutal planet  
It's such an ugly world  
Why won't you, come down to"  
'Brutal Planet' By: Alice Cooper_

_x-x-x-_

The moon shone down brightly upon the sleeping temple, soft wispy clouds creating gentle shadows on the cement ground. The warm air blew gently, rustling the leaves of the cherry trees, playing a gentle night song. Chirping crickets filled the night air as a lone shadow circled the fountain before stopping at in front of the vault.

Sighing Kimiko sank to the cooled stone blocks, as she pulled out her hand held PDA. With a second bored sigh the young Japanese girl started to tap away at the screen pulling up the internet. Leaning back she tucked her heels under her legs ready to spend the rest of her shift surfing the net.

The monks had been put on a high alert when they had noticed their security system was down, wires chewed from a curious squirrel. Afraid that their Wu could be stolen easily at night, the apprentice monks had all agreed to take shifts during the night. They had decided it would be stupid to change every four hours, instead agreeing that they each would take one whole night, getting the next day off from chores and training. Instead they would be able to sleep and rest coming back to normal that night.

Tonight was Kimiko's night, and though she was happy to be chore free when the sun rose, the young Japanese girl could not help but feel jealous at her friends that got to lie in their nice cozy cots, sleeping soundly. If only she could sleep too.

'_This is stupid to guard the Wu.'_ She mused while clicking on her email account. It was stupid, everyone had agreed after Master Fung had told them about the wires.

The temple had not had an attempted raid in almost a month. For a month now they had been able to collect the Wu as they revealed themselves without trying to beat the bad guys. They had not had a showdown- except for when Raimundo and Omi decided to showdown for fun, betting chores instead of Wu.

Jack had disappeared almost over a month ago, no one had heard a word from him. Wuya and Chase had remained silent in their lair, and none of the dragons were ready to rush into the lair to find out why. They had stopped attacking and that was good enough for them.

A month of silence and still it was not enough to let any of them get a good enough night sleep until the wires were fixed.

Kimiko sighed as she clicked out of her email discouraged. Her best friend, Keiko, had not emailed her yet and Kimiko was starting to feel left out. The temple was starting to strain her friendship with Keiko now.

Stretching her legs out, Kimiko laid back on the cooled tiles, her eyes watching the stars above. She wouldn't fall asleep, no she was better trained then that. Besides there was still the freedom of chores lingering on her mind. But it did not mean that the young girl could not enjoy the stars for part of her shift.

Humming Kimiko swayed her feet to the tune, remember back when she was younger when her dad would sing to her in Japanese before tucking her into bed. Sapphire eyes traced lines between the stars making shapes and designs. Smiling Kimiko switched to another song, humming lightly as she closed her eyes. A light breeze drifted down brushing against her cheek before ruffling her hair.

A crunch from outside the temple walls caused the girl to gasp, sitting up straight her eyes glued to the entrance on the other side of the fountain. Her eyes squinting to try to make up for the darkness as she stared unblinkingly. Slowly she stood, her hands out in a defensive pose as she walked around the fountain.

Mentally she was thankful that even after the month break she still could stalk just as good as she did then. Adrenaline pumped through her veins as Kimiko walked towards the entrance heel to toe with her arms raised and ready for action. Looking around quickly, the girl noticed that she was still alone- no ambushes were surrounding her. Though that also meant that she was left alone to fight. Kimiko knew that if she screamed that everyone else would be out in a second. But if for some reason she could not scream for help, she would have to fight alone.

Fight alone...

As much as she loved to be able to hold her own, the thought of fighting after a month's break sped her heart. Swallowing hard Kimiko took a reassuring breath.

It could be nothing. It could just be that pesky squirrel that now allowed them to take guard duty at night. Or it could have been an owl deciding to have some dinner- maybe he decided to do the monks all a favor and eat that pesky squirrel. Or it could easily be some other annoying little animal that decided to scare the girl. She was getting ahead of herself. There was no enemy so far, no other sounds.

'_Get a hold of yourself girl!_' Kimiko scolded herself as she closed in on the opening.

Squinting again Kimiko stared at the dark trees that surrounded the temple. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary as she glanced around one last time. Maybe it was all in her head. She was bored after all. Maybe she just heard a sound and put too much into it. Her mind playing out what could happen. After all she was prone to over imagining things when she became too bored, especially at nights.

"Who's there?" She questioned the darkness immediately feeling foolish. Here she was standing almost as though she expected the darkness to answer back.

There was no answer.

'_Of course not,_' Kimiko mused as she walked to the entrance of the temple, her head turning to one side to the other. It was useless, too dark for her to see. Glancing back Kimiko checked the temple one last time. Satisfied that no one was up, she held out a hand whispering for the flame to come up. A small flame flickered in her palm. Small enough to not awaken the monks, but big enough to chase away some of the shadows. Smiling Kimiko raised her right had just above her head before calling out again, this time sounding more surer as she found courage from the flame. "I said, who's there? Would you at least answer me if you're going to sneak around?"

Another crunch to the left answered her. This time she was sure of it. It was not an animal sound. The footstep was too heavy and too dragging to be from an animal. Kimiko's breathed quickened as she glanced behind her one last time before stepping out. She was on her own for now. Turning to the left Kimiko kept her hand raised as she walked down the temple wall, her eyes glancing from side to side as she tried to find the source of the sound.

Pausing before a waist-high bush Kimiko watched as the branches tremble. Sighing she rolled her eyes staring at the bush. Really who would be dumb enough to think that she could not see the branches moving. Let alone the bare foot that stuck out from underneath the bush. Tapping her toe impatiently Kimiko lowered her flame-wielding hand to her chest, the tip of the flame licking her chin lightly. "Come out of there or I'll just burn the bush down. I'm too tired to deal with this."

"N-n-no don't. I'll come out just don't hurt me."

Kimiko's eyes widened as she recognized that voice. Even though it had been over a month that she had heard it, she would recognize it from anywhere. Jack Spicer. Narrowing her eyes she stepped back allowing the teen enough room to step out.

A violent wind swept around the forest, dimming her flame as she watched the teen step out.

"What do you think you're doing here Ja-" Kimiko paused in mid-sentence as the wind died down, her flame jumping back immediately. Flickering light flooded her face and Jack's as she took in the boy's condition. "What the hell happened to you?"

Jack shook his lightly arms crossed before his chest, ruby eyes closing before looking away from the girl.

Swallowing hard she stepped back, her hand outstretched as she took in the full picture. His crimson hair was tangled- more then normal- and clumped together by what looked like dried blood. A long gash ran across Jack's left cheek from under his eye down to his chin, it looked almost as though it had been opened repeatedly. Both eyes were swollen and bruised, his lower lip split with blood still falling from it. Through his opened lips, Kimiko could faintly see red-tinged teeth. His jacket was ripped as was his red Frankenstein shirt underneath, the backpack helicopter hanging heavily on the right shoulder, the left strap snapped. Both blades were snapped, sliding freely side to side as Jack wobbled. Dried blood and caked mud covered every part of his body where fresh blood did not flow. Jack leaned heavily on his right leg, his left seeming the most injured. Blood flowed freely from the bare foot onto the ground below.

"God Jack what happened to you?" She asked again, this time her voice softer, almost taking a motherly concern to it.

Again Jack shook his head, tears brimming his eyes as he stared at the wall. "Look Kimiko," Jack glanced at the Japanese girl before looking back at the wall, "I know we're not on the best of terms. I know we're kinda enemies and everything. But would it be ok if I spent at least the night here. I'll be gone tomorrow, I just need to rest that's all. And...and...I can't go..." Ruby eyes rolled back as Jack's knees buckled under his weight. Kimiko gasped as she ran towards the falling body arms out stretched. Kimiko extinguished the flame in her hand as she reached out catching the boy just before he came crashing to the ground.

Lying him gently on the forest floor, Kimiko turned running to the temple. She was going to need help getting Jack into the temple.

_x-x-x-_

Jack moaned as a jolt of pain pulled him from the peaceful darkness. It had been over a month since he had been able to sleep in peace, without a rude awakening or sudden pain ripping through his body. Eyes slowly cracked open before closing again as Jack whimpered at the sunlight that had blinded him. Gasping Jack tensed as he lied on the soft bed. '_Wait sunlight...Wha-_'

Jack sprung up eyes glancing around wildly as he tried to figure out where he was. It wasn't _there_, nor was it his home. Blinking he tried to clear the haze in his mind. What had happened yesterday? What was so different that he would be here now instead of _there_?

"Ow," Jack whimpered as he grabbed his stomach, doubling over in the pain that ripped through his midsection.

"Whoa partner," Jack's eyes opened at the voice. If he was here then that meant. Jack looked up a fire in his eyes as he glared at the apprentice at his bed side, his hands balling into fists, ready to fight if need be.

Raising his hands Clay slowly walked closer to the bed, sitting on the edge. Carefully he wrapped his hands around the bony shoulders. "Whoa there, if you go movin' like that you're gonna reopen the wounds that we worked so hard on closing."

The touch weakened Jack as the fire left his eyes, slackening he allowed himself to be lied down in the bed again, raising his head long enough for Clay to add another pillow under Jack's bandaged head.

"You scared us, Kimiko the most though. But what happened to you Jack?" Clay asked gently as he sat back down on the edge of the bed.

Jack shook his head, looking away from the cowboy. He couldn't tell anyone what happened. N! He would never tell them what happened.

"That's what Kimiko said happened when she asked you. Hmm..." Clay pushed back a lock of crimson hair that poked out from the bandage. When they had started working on Jack the had found several gashes in his head, one which was infected. Master Fung had taken to cleaning the infected wound as Clay cleaned the dry blood from the other wounds. "You know we were wonderin' what happened to ya for the month. Omi was worried that something had happened to ya."

Jack glanced back at the monk, a questioning look in his eyes. They had worried about him? About their enemy? The same Jack that had fought against them, betrayed them numerous times just to get Chase to look his way. Blinking the teen tried to ignore the tears that stung at his eyes. He had not cried for over two weeks and he was not going to start now! Gritting his teeth Jack tore his glance away from the caring face of Clay.

Sighing Clay glanced out the window before looking back down at the teen. "Hey how about I get you some soup. Or maybe some oatmeal. It's soft and warm and it would fill you up better then a bowl of soup."

Jack smiled as he nodded, eyes closing lightly as much needed sleep lulled the boy back into a peaceful grasp that he had not gotten to experience in the longest time.

"I'll be back soon Jack." Clay pushed himself off of the bed as he headed towards the door.

"C-clay!" Clay grimaced at the way Jack's voice cracked as he called out. Breathing deeply he turned around smiling gently as he leaned against the frame.

Jack tried to open reluctant eyes as he faced where he thought the door would be. Unable to open his eyes, Jack sighed before continuing, "I...I... T-thank..."

"Hey no worries! We're glad that you're just ok," Clay interrupted him as he turned. "Right now you're a friend in need. You're hurt and it does not matter who you are." Thinking for a second, he added, "besides if we can take care of Katnappe for a while with a fake injury. I think we can take care of your real injuries. Both physical and mental." The last part had fallen on deaf ears as Jack passed back out to the blissfully peaceful darkness of sleep, his mind and body dripping with exhaustion.

_x-x-x-_

"I just don't trust him. That's all!"

Clay sighed as he walked into the continuation of Raimundo and Kimiko's fight. Raimundo did not want to trust Jack, insisting that they should just drop him off at the first hospital they saw and never look back. Meanwhile Kimiko argued that some one apparently was after him. Hurting him on purpose, the sole reason that he should stay until he was healed.

Clay sat on the cushioned pillow next to Omi glancing at the short monk. He held his face in his hands as he tried to ignore the feuding teens behind him.

"They still at it?" Clay whispered as he looked back at the two, too bent in their argument to realize someone had just entered the room. The same two teens that were blocking the stove. Apparently Jack's oatmeal was going to have to wait a couple more minutes. Especially since neither of the two seemed ready to give up.

Omi nodded wearily. He had been awakened in the early hours of the morning, and though adrenaline had pumped through him allowing him to help with Jack quickly. He was now starting to come down from the high and was ready to sleep. "They're still fighting like birds and fishes."

"Cats and dogs," Clay corrected, "About the same stuff still?"

Omi nodded again, laying his head on the low, wooden table. He wanted nothing more then to get a couple more minutes of sleep.

"How can you not trust him, especially with him injured like that?!" Kimiko all but screamed at the tanned teen, her hands curling into tight fists.

"How many times has he come here, swearing to be good, swearing that he had given up taking over the world, given up Chase! Just to turn on us the last second." Raimundo relaxed his ridged body, forcing himself to take a deep calming breath. He had to stay cool, he had to or this would get too far out of control. Further then he wanted it to ever go.

"But he's injured! I mean look at his wounds. Were you not there with us cleaning them? Did you not see his legs? His arms? Who knows what internal injuries he has."

"So he got into a fight, probably with Chase after messing something up. Who knows how many enemies the kid has. Any of them could have gotten mad at him and decided to take out their frustrations."

"What did he mess up with Chase? What? Huh! There has been nothing going on for a while now. Besides you heard what Master Fung said about some of the wounds on Jack."

"So..." Raimundo was faltering at his argument. Perhaps he was in the wrong, but still his pride was not going to let him loose this fight, especially after how long they had been at it. "So he got someone to cut him. For all we know he could have cut himself. It's probably some kind of plan to get our Wu!"

"Argh Rai! I swear sometimes..." Kimiko stared at the Brazilin, arms flailing as she tried to find the right words to explain how she felt right now. Feeling too frustrated too early in the morning after a night from hell, Kimiko gave up her arms flying above her head as she stormed for the door that led outside. "ARGH!"

Omi stared at the door that Kimiko had just stormed out of before looking back at Raimundo. Glancing between the two objects, his eyes sad before making up his mind. Jumping up from his place at the table he ran out the door after the annoyed girl. "Kimiko wait!"

Sighing Clay stood silently, sidestepping Raimundo heading for the stove. Grabbing the pot of lukewarm water, he placed it back over the warm burner turning the heat on high. "Try taking an easy on Jack, 'k. At least until he's healed enough to at least sit up."

"Fine," Rai huffed as he threw up his arms. "But don't expect me to help out when he turns on us yet again! 'Cause I'll be over there," Rai pointed out of the kitchen window to a lone cherry tree, "telling you all '_I told you so!_'" Huffing he stormed out of the kitchen muttering about how he should have stayed in bed.

Shaking his head Clay stared at the pot, his mind racing over everything that had happened in less then twenty-four hours.

"A watched pot never boils," Master Fung placed a steady hand on the cowboy's shoulder.

"A saying that I know, something must be on your mind if you're using simple sayings." Clay turned away from the stove, heading to the cabinet for a bowl. Standing still he stared at the bowl in his hands, questions raced his mind, wanting to pour out yet he could not find the words for them.

"Is there something on your mind, young monk?"

Clay turned around, shaking his head. "I would not know where to begin. There's just so much that I want to know, yet…" Clay shrugged helplessly. Silently he poured some of the oatmeal into the pot.

"Yet Jack does not talk about it." Master Fung stood beside the cowboy staring into the thickening mush, almost as though it had the answers. Clay nodded silently.

Finding Jack in the condition that he was in had shaken all of them. Left them all to imagine what the teen had been through. No matter how hard Clay tried to imagine the outcomes, it always seemed to fall so much shorter then what Jack had apparently gone through.

"Young Monk," Clay glanced up, "just wait for Jack to find the strength to talk. He will soon enough, then we can help him."

Clay nodded as he turned the burner off pouring the oatmeal into the bowl. They would all wait for Jack to heal enough to tell what happened. And after he found out Clay silently promised that he would give them just a fourth of what they had done to Jack. Enough to make them hurt, whoever it was. Besides he was certain that the others would want to help give whoever back some of Jack's pain.

But until then.

Clay forced the frozen smile on his face as he walked out of the kitchen and back to the bedroom that now doubled as a makeshift hospital.

For now he would try to help the others heal Jack. Try to get the small teen back to normal before forcing him to talk.

_x-x-x-_

Heh ok so how was it? Does that part with the oatmeal show I don't cook often. Heh probably. I don't know I'm just not a big cooker.


	2. Chapter 2

I thought I would restate the warnings. And they are being used now! If you don't like this stuff in your stories read carefully.  
**Warnings:** blood, mentioning of torture, violence, angst, pain...All that fun stuff

Also I've been told this is like several other stories. Sorry, I hope mine is slightly different then theirs. But it goes to show you that no matter what plot you may think of- someone else has thought of it. So please tell me if I'm copying anyone's story part for part and I'll try to add a plot twist.

Also White Wolf Zita thank you for the concrit! Trying to get the characters to speak right always seems to be the hardest part for me. But thank you and I hope I did better here.

Also I wanted to thank each and every review I got, you guys are amazing! Thank you!

_x-x-x-_

_A kick in the gut caused the teen to gasp painfully. Wheezing Jack pulled his eyes open, coughing through clenched teeth. Turning his head away Jack grimaced spitting a mouthful of blood onto the concrete floor. Hissing he pulled at the shackles that kept his arms securely above his head._

Damn_' Jack swore mentally as he stared at his attacker. Already he could see the fire in the eyes before him, the same fire that had brought so much pain before. _

_"_Why handcuff me like this. Scared?_" Jack had decided long ago that he rather die then keep living like this. _

_"_I think you have it backwards. Look at you trembling there. Are you scared my dear Jack._" A hand snacked out from the shadows to caress Jack's porcelain cheek. The same cheek that had managed to remain unscathed. _

_Swallowing hard the teen turned his head away from the soft hand, clenching his eyes shut. He knew what would come next. He knew..._

_A loud slap rang out from the room. Jack gasped trying to swallow back the cries of pain. Tears only made it worse. He had learnt that after the third day. Though it wasn't to say that sometimes the tears still flowed from his aching body. _

_Feeling the pain subside, Jack smirked at the floor as he spat out blood. He swore again tongue feeling his lower lip. '_Great, it opened again.

_His lip had been split on the fourth day he was brought here. And still had not been given the chance to close completely. Just like the other wounds he had been afflicted with._

_"_Hmm, so want to talk today?_" The shadowed figure asked holding up a small silver dagger, a promise of what was to come if the answer was not to it's liking._

_"_No way!_" Jack smirked at the figure before looking away as though bored. Inside his heart fluttered wildly as he tried to control his breathing. His stomach knotted and once again he was reminded of the kick that he had so recently gotten. _

_Breathing deeply, Jack closed his eyes trying desperately to put himself somewhere else. To pull himself from the dark room he was in and to his lab. He was not chained to the cold, cement wall but instead tinkering away with his robots, whistling to the music that blared from his stereo. _

_Slowly he could feel the cold wall behind him disappear until nothing pressed against him. Hands were free from the cold, heavy chains._

Instead they were replaced with heavy gloves.

Leather gloves. Looking to the side, Jack stared at the yellowing gloves above his head.

That's right, he wore them when he worked on sharp metal pieces. In a fleeting hope that they would not injure him too badly. That he would save his fingers for another day.

Smiling Jack sighed as he stared at the make-shift car above him. He just had to figure out what to do next. It was his prized possession. If it worked out right, Jack would have invented the first car that could not only drive on the road, but also fly and go out on water. And without the help of any Seng Gong Wu either.

Smirking he glanced around, tapping a couple screws with his finger, making sure they were tightly fastened. After all he didn't want to be 3700 feet in the air when one of the screws came free.

Smiling the teen sang quietly as he tinkered away with the underside of his baby. Feeling unusually happy Jack tapped his toe to the beat of the song he sang, a new song he had heard on the radio earlier that morning when his alarm clock had roused him from his peaceful slumber.

_Throbbing from his left arm woke the teen from his daydream. Moaning Jack shook his head trying to clear his mind as he forced himself to keep his eyes closed. Refusing to allow the other person the joy of knowing that Jack was suffering. _

_Eyes clenched tighter as Jack tried to keep from thinking of the figure before him. He seriously didn't know how much more he could go through. How much torture could one body go through? One mind? Especially from someone that was never trained to withstand such abuse. _

_He was nothing more then a teenager. A teenaged boy. Sure genius teenager, but still nothing more then that. He was no government agent, no ninja. There had been no lessons, no practices on how to survive days upon days of never ending torture! Even when he was with Wuya he was never taught. And the beat downs that he received from the Dragons almost seemed like heaven compared to this! _

_His body ached. His mind ached. _

_His arms screamed to be let down as his wrists throbbed from the cutting metal cuffs that held his tired, sore arms up so high. Every part of his body- exposed or not- was covered in cuts, bruises and in a couple of areas burns. _

_And at night when he was granted a two hour break to sleep, Jack would cry himself asleep. But even that break was not really one. He was still forced to stand, his hands lowered slightly, but still not enough for him to sit on the chilled floor. If he let his knees slack the slightest, he would be rewarded with stiff, throbbing arms when the morning kick to the gut came. _

_Cold metal pressed against Jack's neck, while a mouth rested against his ear, warm air waffing over the teen's exposed shoulder. "_Now do you think that closing your eyes is going to make this go away?_" The voice lowered, malice dripping from every word, "_Because if so, we may just have to reteach you the rules. You will never escape until you speak!_"_

_The knife drug along the pillar of flesh, slicing at the pale skin, blood dripping from the wound._

_Jack grimaced as he felt the sharp blade slide across his neck. He hated it when they drug it across slowly. It always hurt worse then when it was the slashed quickly. Breathing deeply Jack tried to keep his cool; calming his tears before they streamed over his lids. _

'I'm not here right now,' _Jack whispered in his mind. Calmly he repeated his mantra, ignoring the other voice that promised more if he did not talk. Didn't they get it? What would it take for them to understand that he would _never_ talk! That he would die instead! What did he need to get it across to them?! A neon sign?!_

_Already Jack could feel his body slackening, his mind fading from the real world, hiding back into the world that he had created after his second day. In this world he was loved, he was safe. If anything tried to get him, all Jack had to do was pause it and change the scary part. In this world there were no Seng Gong Wu, no Wuya, no Xiaolin Dragons that loved to beat him up. _

_No instead it was just him and his robots. Here he could tinker with his circuit boards for hours on end. And just like the cartoon character that would spend a lifetime tightening that one bolt Jack would play with the circuits, pressing his tester against each panel before nodding and pressing them against the same panels again._

Toes curled against the rough rug that he kept under his table. His mother had tossed the beaten rug at him late one night when she ventured down to the basement. Her blond hair bounced as she shook her head, tongue clicking as she watched her son wrap thin arms around himself in an effort to keep warm. Sighing she had demanded that he at least put that rug down if he insisted on spending his life in the cold, dank basement while barefooted.

Breathing deeply Jack swore he could smell old oil lingering in the air, on good days his hair would smell like it too. Much to his mother's dismay when she saw him. She whined about how she wished that Jack was a girl! Someone to cook and play dolls with. Not another slob to clean up after and to make sure bathed at least once a month.

Jack smiled as he stretched his arms high above his head. Twisting slightly the boy could feel his back pop. Maybe tonight he would jump in the shower before bed. It would be a nice surprise for his mother when she came in to tuck him in.

A stupid little smile crossed his face. He didn't care that he was almost sixteen and that his mother still tucked him in. It made him feel special. Like that he was loved. His mother cared enough to come in and wish him a good night and sweet dreams. She loved him! And no matter how dorky that sounded to others he loved it!

Sure he was no girl that his mother wanted, but he was her son. And even when she was annoyed at the messes he left- she still loved him deeply! And just knowing that made everything negative that his mother say perfectly fine.

_The bloodied knife clattered as it feel to the ground, the shadowed figure shaking its head. Amused the figure took a step back, watching Jack smile as he hid back in his dream world._

_"_Nah-uh._" _

_Jack coughed harshly as a hard fist was delivered to his already injured gut. Breathing harshly he opened his eyes, glaring at the figure standing right before him, nose to nose._

_"_No zoning out is allowed. I want you to feel the entire experience. After all I thought long and hard about how to make today fun for you._" _

_Swallowing deeply Jack turned away from the face, long absent tears brimming in his eyes as he clenched his fists trying the hardest to prepare for what was to come. Out of the corner of his eye Jack shuddered violently as he stared at the metal bar the figure pulled off the table of what they had called 'their toys.' _

_Some toys. To Jack toys were something that you could play with. Cars, trucks, action figures, robots, legos; those were toys, not the things that were on the table._

_Jack had been acquainted with that bar several times, and he knew perfectly well how horrible today was going to be. Clenching his eyes tightly Jack balled his fists trying to pull himself away as much as he could. Though the teen knew that even if he lost himself completely in his dream world, it still would not mask the pain. _

_Screams bounced off of the walls of the small room as Jack tried to pull away, kick and punch. Anything to get his attacker off of him..._

_But nothing would work._

_x-x-x-_

Screaming Jack bolted upright in the small cot, his hand pressing against his stomach tightly. Wild eyes glanced around the small room as the red head tried to place his surroundings. Glancing to the side, he relaxed staring at a wide eyed, petrified Kimiko.

'That's right,' Jack sighed as he lied back on the fluffy pillow, his hand still pressed to his sore stomach. He had escaped. Barely. But he had. He had escaped with his mind and body in one piece- somewhat. And he was still living.

And best yet, he had not talked.

If he could have, Jack would have stood on the bed, announcing his greatness to the whole world! He had survived and was not even trained on how to.

"Jack!"

The teen cringed at the shrill voice, crimson eyes glancing over at the furious looking girl. Smiling he winked in her direction. For some reason he just felt cocky. Felt like he could easily take on the dragons for their Wu again. Maybe it was because of the hell he had survived.

"What was that?"

"What?" Jack whispered, his throat stinging from his scream earlier.

"The scream. What else!" The dragon of fire sighed as she watched her 'patient' shrug as though nothing had happened.

"It was that, a scream. You love to ask questions you know the answers to huh." Jack slowly pushed himself to a sitting position, flinching when his arms protested the movement.

"Hey you're supposed to stay in bed!" Kimiko jumped up, her hand on the clammy shoulder.

Shrugging Jack sat straight, his legs crossed before him. "And what are you going to do if I don't? Fight me?"

He knew he should stay in bed, but Jack had never been the type to follow orders from doctors. He still had a scar on his ankle from when he had began running too soon after getting stitches in, they had broken from the flexing of his ankle and the wound had reopened. But still Jack ran around, until the doctor- after restitching the wounded ankle for a third time- finally decided to put him in a soft cast to keep him from moving his ankle.

Once again Kimiko had to fight the urge to throttle her patient. 'Why did he have to wake up,' she wondered while looking around for her game that she had tossed when he had screamed.

She had been placed in charge of the sleeping Jack. A job that was actually quite easy- at least while he was still asleep. While he slept she had played her newest Goo Zombies game and had almost made it to the final boss when Jack had screamed. Glancing behind her small chair Kimiko stared at the bold, blood red letters that flashed over the screen. 'Game Over.'

Well it was something to do later in the day, when the sun was too low to do training or chores. Though since she had not saved the game, Kimiko was doomed to begin at the beginning level again.

Hanging her head Kimiko picked up her hand held game, flicking the power switch to the off position. With that taken care of her attention was back on the shaking teen; his eyes- through calmer now- still flicked around the room. Almost as though he was waiting for a monster to jump out of the walls.

'What has he gone through?' Kimiko wondered as she pressed a hand against the clammy shoulder. She was going to have to change the sheets soon again. And probably have to bath the boy again.

Why did it only seem to happen on her shift?

Why her?

And why was it that a temple full of boys could be completely empty when it came time to bath the unconscious boy? Shuddering Kimiko stepped away thinking hard on how to relieve her of her charge.

At least before he decided that he wanted a shower or something. The severity of the wounds made any kind of bathing, except for soft sponges, nearly impossible. The smallest amount of force ripped the wounds open. As they had learned while moving Jack to the small cot he slept in now. Even bandage changing seemed to open the wounds. They had been ripped apart for so long that they were not going to heal easily.

But even still he couldn't lie in bed without moving until they healed. That could take weeks or even months. Kimiko didn't know a lot about health but she knew basics. And one basic fact was- the longer a person lied around doing nothing, the more health problems they could get.

With that in mind the young dragon of fire began planning on how to get rid of Jack. It wasn't that she hated him, it was just that she didn't want to be around him.

"Hey Jack," Kimiko pushed the chair out of the way, tugging down the blankets. "Wanna go out and stretch your legs?"

"Eh sure I guess." Jack glanced down, for the first time noticing just how badly wounded he had been. "Uh..." Glancing behind him and on the floor around him, Jack looked up confusion in his features. "Where are my clothes?" He asked holding his arms up for emphasis.

"I think Rai burned them." Kimiko stated in a matter-of-the-fact way, her eyes barely glancing at the shirtless boy. Bending over she helped Jack straighten out his legs, hanging them off the side of the bed. "He gave you a pair of his pants though, so you have something to wear. At least until we figure out something for you to wear." Reaching out she grasped Jack's hands, holding them tightly. Then she braced her legs, locking her knees in place. "Here let me help pull you up."

Jack pulled his hands out of the girl's soft grasp. "Y-y-you burnt my clothes?! Why!"

"Because they were ripped _and_ stained. There was no way they could have _ever_ been fixed." Kimiko tried to keep calm as she explained, trying to remind herself that Jack had been out of it for a few days now, but the annoyance was starting to show in her words. "Come on let's get you up."

Sighing Jack took her hands, allowing the smaller girl to pull him out of the bed. With one fast- and painful for Jack- pull Kimiko was able to get the teen upright, though unsteadily. Unsteady, weak legs shook as they tried to get used to the sudden weight. A weight that they had not had to support for a few days now. Grasping his stomach Jack pushed away the girl's arms, determined to make it on his own. Slowly his feet shuffled forward, hands reaching out to steady himself against walls, door frames, furniture and whatever else was steady enough for him to hold.

Kimiko watched, arms held out behind Jack ready to catch him if he happened to fall. Her eyes watching his feet carefully, whispering to him when he reached obstacles.

"Watch out for the step," Kimiko stared at the slight incline.

"I know," would be Jack's tired answer as he would slow down long enough to safely clear it.

"Careful for the floor, the board's loose so it sticks up slightly."

"I know!"

Though she meant well Kimiko was starting to annoy Jack. He hated to feel like an invalid. To have people fussing over him.

Slowly step by step, obstacle by obstacle they made it to the small kitchen. There Jack shrugged the concerned girl away. Looking around, he could only guess it was morning still. In the aftermath of his nightmare, Jack had forgotten to ask when it was, or even what day. But those were minor inconveniences right now.

Or so he reasoned looking around the kitchen. From where he was standing- holding the door jam as though it was his lifeline- Jack could see Omi sitting at the table holding a bowl while eating with chopsticks. At the counter was Raimundo, his back to him.

Carefully he stepped in, fingers sliding away from the door jam. It was a long walk to the table, and there was nothing to help catch him if he was to fall. Knowing that the teen took his steps carefully, never stepping further then a sliver away from his other foot. With patience he crossed the room with baby steps, arms wrapped around the bandaged stomach.

Already blood was starting to poke through the snowy bandages and soon they would have to be changed. Something he was not looking forward to. If breathing hurt this much, he could only guess how much it would hurt to get them changed.

Finally reaching the table-and without making a fool of himself, or at least as little of a fool as he could while taking baby steps across the room- Jack carefully crossed his legs before lowering himself down to the pillow on the floor.

Glancing up from his bowl of rice, Omi watched Jack try to get comfortable on the pillow.

"What happened to you Jack." Omi asked from his place at the low table, his hands leaving the bowl to grasp the wooden edge tightly. Excited to know what had happened to their enemy, the young monk leaned forward, his waist bending over the low table.

"What do you mean?" Jack changed his position again, finally settling to kneel on the overstuffed pillow, his finger digging into his ear in a bored manner.

"The bandages on you." A short finger pointed at Jack's bandaged chest before pulling up to his neck and face. "Those are not your normal clothes. Or look for that matter."

"What do you mean?" Jack held out his arms, smirking as he stared at the shorter monk. "This is the new style. Everyone's wearing it. I mean it's all the rage!" Nodding the crimson haired teen tried to suppress a wince as he wrapped his arms around his stomach. The sudden moves had jolted the wounds that were still healing.

Standing in the doorway Kimiko shook her head in annoyance as she listened to Jack's reasoning. Who would believe such an answer as that?

"Really?" Omi's eyes lit up as he stared at Jack's new 'style' with a new attitude.

'Ok besides him.' Kimiko thought as she slapped her forehead a disbelieving grunt escaping her mouth.

The smaller monk glanced over at the grunting girl before looking back at Jack. His eyes clouded with confusion as he glanced between the two. Between the crimson haired teen in baggy red pants and snowy bandages that covered most of his chest, neck and arms. His crimson hair disheveled from where the bandages on his head pushed them.

And then to the girl with her ebony hair pulled into two braids, each behind an ear, leather ties holding the braids together. Her fashion for the day had been toned down to a pair of bleach-faded jeans and a tan pheasants top- the same color as her leather hair ties.

Blinking Omi turned towards Kimiko before pointing a finger at her. "Then why does Kimiko not wear it. If it is the angry now. She always wears that kind of stuff!" The young monk nodded, as though he had solved the world's most perplexing problem.

"Rage," Raimundo corrected as he sat on the counter, not wanting to miss the show.

"Yeah that too!" Omi stated staring at the flustered girl.

The pain was getting to become too much for Jack now as he tried to keep from laughing. Arms crossed tightly over his stomach- as though trying to keep his innards in- the teen leaned over the table his forehead resting on the cool, polished wooden surface.

'How naive can he really be?' Jack wondered as he wiped the stray tears away with the palm of his hand. Was there still people really that naive in the world, Jack had to wonder as he stared. 'I guess I really was like that too.'

But that had been a long time ago.

Back when being 'evil boy genius' was a fun game. Back when it didn't hurt this much to be him.

"Omi!" The girl all but yelled as she stormed into the small kitchen, walking between where the two boys were sitting. Boys- especially teen ones- could just be so tiring at times. "Believe me bandages over most of your body isn't any style! Ok. Really who would wear that stuff? Think about it."

"Oh but hey this style is just so cheap." Jack was not about to let his entertainment die away so easily. However already he was starting to feel worn out. His head fell against the hard table with a dull thud. Lying his ear against the top he continued, "I mean if you work at a hospital then it's free!"

Omi blinked, quiet confused now. What Kimiko was saying did make sense, but still. "Why would Jack lie?" Omi asked the first question on his mind before a different one grabbed him. "And when did Jack start working at a hospital?"

Jack couldn't hold the laughter back anymore. Tears streamed down his face as the boy slapped the table. "Ow ow ow ow ow. It hurts!" Gasping Jack curled up, tears of pain now streaming down his face as his stomach pounded from the abuse it had just suffered. Laughing was defiantly a no-no.

The dragons paused long enough to watch Jack curl up, muttering before continuing their discussion over Jack's new style.

"Dude," Raimundo jumped off of the counter leaning against Kimiko's shoulder. "Think about it, it's Jack. When hasn't he lied to us?"

"That's true Omi." Kimiko shrugged the arm off of her shoulder before stretching. "And since he's up, my shift is over. Have fun Rai!" The girl laughed as she ran for the door, a smile crossing her face.

Sighing the Brazilian glanced at the injured one at the table before shrugging his shoulders. "As if it's going to be hard! He's so injured he can't move very far without collapsing." Turning he walked to the door that led outside, his hand raised. "Have fun Omi."

"Hey it is time for your watch!" The monk argued, though to no avail since the Brazilian was gone. Blinking Omi glanced at the crimson headed teen in confusion of what to do.

Shrugging Jack smiled lightly, a sympathetic look on his face. He knew why none of the others wanted to be around him. But still it hurt him to watch them toss him around, none wanting to have him for more then ten seconds.

Sighing Jack pushed away from the table, lying on the chilled floor. It felt good against his flushed skin. Gently he curled up, pulling his knees up to his chest before wrapping his arms around his legs. Sleep soon captured his fatigued body and mind, leaving the boy to roam free in the world of dreams.

_X-x-x-_

"So he escaped?" A small figure walked up, hands on hips.

"It seems he has escaped." The other figure sighed staring at the empty chains. "I have to hand it to him. He is quiet resourceful." The figure whispered toeing the thin piece of metal that had been used as a key, unlocking the chains.

"That still doesn't help the fact that he's gone and we still don't know where it is."

"Patience is a virtue."

"Don't preach to me," the smaller figure huffed, hands sliding off hips before crossing in front of its chest.

"Don't worry we have him right where we want him." The taller figure set an iron bar back on the table of 'toys.'

"Really? It seems to me the cuffs are empty."

"Yes, but he is at the temple and right now he can't move far without passing out. So as long as he's there, we know where he is." The taller figure winked, a smirk slowly appearing.

"Oh yes!" The other figure exclaimed. "So how do you suggest we get our information."

"Hmm," a long finger was pressed to closed lips. "Let's let the shadows take care of it. After all you know just how much he likes the shadows."

"Oh yes that sounds wonderfully evil!" Laughing the smaller figure turned on heel, ready to watch what would happen next.

_X-x-x-_

Ok so how did that sound? I'm sorry about the crappy last part, I'm trying to keep a element of mystery here, but also want something more then nothing to happen. Also I hope that it wasn't too graphic, this is just like the beginning, and I'm hoping to keep it toned down. So please tell me if it gets to the point that you think it's getting to graphic and I'll try changing it a little.

Anyways what are the shadows? Well you'll find out when I update. Review if you want to!


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